Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, September 07th, 2016 - Leading international classification society Bureau Veritas has recognised MSC Cruises with the 2016 Special Safety Best Practices Award for the high level of voluntary-enhanced safety procedures implemented across its entire fleet. The Award follows the performance of additional drills witnessed by Bureau Veritas for better training and readiness of the crew in case of Fire, Damage Stability and Passenger Evacuation situations. This project, demonstrating high training skills and adherence to performing internal safety procedures over a continuous period, was initiated in 2012 and conducted by five BV survey centres in Europe, USA, South America, North Africa and Asia, covering the entire MSC Cruises fleet.

Philippe Donche-Gay, President of Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore Division says, “We are pleased to provide support and recognition for the extensive efforts and investments which MSC Cruises makes in safety, going above and beyond industry and international requirements.”

Emilio La Scala, President & Managing Director, MSC Cruise Management says: “When it comes to on-board safety, MSC Cruises will always strive to be at the forefront of innovation. We are thus highly honoured to receive this international recognition, as the safety and security of our guests and crew are and will always be our number one priority.”

MSC Cruises previously won BV’s Seven Golden Pearls award when in 2013 BV recognised MSC’s commitment to safeguarding the marine ecosystem, as well as protecting the health and safety of its passengers and staff. The Golden Pearls award recognizes corporate compliance with the four highest international standards in the areas of environment (ISO 14001), health and safety (OHSAS 18001), food safety (ISO 22000) and energy efficiency (ISO 50001), together with the additional notation Cleanship-2-AWT, for the three domains of potential pollution: air, water and waste.

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About MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises, part of the MSC Group is the Swiss-based, world’s largest privately-owned cruise line and brand market leader in Europe, South America and South Africa, sailing year-round in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Seasonal itineraries cover northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, Cuba and the French Antilles, South America, southern Africa, China and Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Oman.

In 2014, MSC Cruises launched an investment plan to support the second phase of its growth through the order of two ships of the Meraviglia generation and two others of the Seaside generation (plus an option for a third) and in February 2016, confirmed the existing options to build a further two now Meraviglia Plus ships with an even greater capacity. In April 2016 this rose to €9 billion with the announcement of signing of the letter of intent to build a further four ships, each with next-generation LNG propulsion technology. Consequently, between 2017 and 2026 a total of up to 11 new, next-generation MSC Cruises ships will come into service. MSC Cruises is the first global cruise line brand to develop an investment plan of this length and magnitude, spanning an horizon of over ten years, from 2014 through 2026.

MSC Cruises feels a deep responsibility for the environments in which it operates, and was the first company ever to earn the Bureau Veritas "7 Golden Pearls" for superior management and environmental stewardship. In 2009, MSC Cruises began an enduring partnership with UNICEF to support various programmes assisting children worldwide. So far, more than €5m has been collected in voluntary guest donations.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 66,000 employees in around 1,400 offices and laboratories located all across the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index.